The MLB betting action continues Tuesday, July 5, with plenty of interesting matchups on the schedule, including the American League battle from Oakland Coliseum, so here’s the best Blue Jays vs. Athletics betting pick.  

According to BetDSI Sportsbook, the Blue Jays are firm favorites to win Tuesday’s middle clash of a three-game series in Oakland. Monday night’s opener has been excluded from the analysis, while the Jays outlasted the Athletics in a three-game set at Rogers Centre in Toronto back in April.  

The Blue Jays started July on a wrong foot                                           

The 44-36 Toronto Blue Jays entered Monday’s game at Oakland Coliseum looking to stop their three-game slide. They were coming off a five-game home series against Tampa Bay, and after a couple of wins at the start of the set, the Jays have lost three games in a row against the Rays. 

Toronto was sitting at the third spot in the AL East on Monday. The Blue Jays trailed the second-placed Red Sox by half a game while holding the second wild card in the American League. In the last couple of weeks, the Jays have slashed a sturdy .274/.341/.469 with 20 home runs across 493 at-bats, whereas their pitching staff has compiled a pedestrian 4.97 ERA, 1.58 WHIP, and .298 opposing batting average. 

Yusei Kikuchi will toe the slab Tuesday and shoot for his second straight win. Last Thursday, the 31-year-old left-hander tossed six frames of a one-run ball in a 4-1 victory over Tampa Bay while striking out eight. Kikuchi is now 3-4 with an underwhelming 4.74 ERA and 1.52 WHIP in 15 starts (62.2 innings) this season. 

The A’s are slumping at the plate            

The 26-55 Oakland Athletics held the worst record in the majors on Monday. They’ve dropped six of their previous seven games overall and lost two straight road series against the New York Yankees and Seattle Mariners. 

In the last couple of weeks, the A’s were hitting a lousy .226/.273/.323 with eight home runs and 19 doubles across 439 at-bats. On the other side of the ball, they’ve tossed 110 innings in that span, recording a 4.75 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, and .234 opposing batting average. 

Adrian Martinez will toe the rubber Tuesday, and the 25-year-old rookie right-hander is 1-1 with a 6.30 ERA and 1.30 WHIP in his previous two major-league starts (10 innings). Last Thursday, Martinez was obliterated for seven earned runs across 4.2 frames of work in an 8-6 defeat at the Mariners. 

Trends:

Toronto: 

  • 11-6 in the last 17 games on the road 
  • 13-3 in the last 16 games against Oakland 

Oakland:

  • 3-10 in the last 13 games overall 
  • 2-15 in the last 17 games at home  

Toronto Blue Jays vs. Oakland Athletics Pick 

I won’t overthink this game at all. Adrian Martinez just got beaten hard by Seattle, so he should have a mountain to climb in a matchup with the Blue Jays, whose lineup is arguably one of the best in the big leagues. 

It’s hard to trust Yusei Kikuchi, who’s allowed a whopping 20 runs through 21.1 frames of work in June. Still, the Athletics’ offense has been awful as of late, so Kikuchi should fare well in this matchup. 

Pick: Take Toronto Blue Jays                                      

The Total:

With Yusei Kikuchi and Adrian Martinez on the mound, both teams should score early. I’m going with the over on the totals, expecting the Blue Jays to hit hard and well against Martinez. Also, I would be surprised if Kikuchi manages to keep the A’s off the scoreboard even though the current Oakland lineup has only 15 hits in 72 at-bats against him. 

The Jays’ bullpen has played in a shaky form over the last ten days, tallying a 4.17 ERA and 4.06 FIP across 45.1 innings of work. On the other side, the Athletics’ bullpen has compiled a 3.13 ERA, 3.27 FIP, and 3.98 BB/9 through its last 31.2 frames of work. 

Pick: Go over